'Every child matters': Edmonton soccer team honours victims of residential schools

Edmonton team wears Every Child Matters shirts FC Edmonton wore the orange shirts to raise awareness and honour victims of the residential school system in Canada.

EDMONTON — FC Edmonton donned orange Every Child Matters shirts during the pre-game ceremonies of their season opener Saturday to help raise awareness about the intergenerational impact of the residential school system in Canada.

All players on the team supported the Canadian Premier League’s initiative to acknowledge the legacy of residential schools and honour those affected by them.

The pre-game ceremony included a special land blessing and acknowledgement conducted by Elder Florence Paynter, Singer Ray Stevenson, and Niigaan Sinclair.

Eric Newendorp, president and general manager of FC Edmonton, told CTV News Edmonton that the team believes it has a role to play in reconciliation, just like anyone else.

“We fully support the message of raising that awareness for education and reconciliation,” he said. “We have to show that we understand that and respect that.

“We were proud to be part of the opening game and come out with those shirts on,” Newendorp added. “We need to use our platform for awareness of those important causes. We will always be a club that does that.”